Neca Reiche: Hotel Review

Accomodation: Neca Reiche

Location: 736/2 Poonnakan Rd, ตำบลคอหงส์ Amphoe Hat Yai, Chang Wat Songkhla Thailand 90110

The Room (Standard II, L705):

At first glance this hotel room is the most modern we have ever seen. The concept is just state of the art. The way they made use of the space is so ingenious. The wall that separates the entrance and the bathroom hides the ref together with the closet and a tiny safety box. The closet can be accessed both from the outside and from the bathroom. A sliding door with a full body mirror camouflages this part. Next to it is the sliding door for the bathroom which is a translucent glass. You got to be very careful though as one can easily get their hands pinched by the alternating sliding doors.

The room smells like heaven. They have these perfumed, dried flowers that make the room smell so fresh. It’s the first thing that greets you the moment you open your room.

The room size will not blow you away but it is big enough to be comfortable. A queen size bed is nestled in the middle and a sofa bed tucked in the end of the room. There’s enough walking space in-between furniture but that’s it. You’d be risking stubbing your toe if you are not careful though.

The place is definitely clean, although we are not fond of black tiles for the floor (bathroom) as they never look/feel clean, they are very particular with cleanliness. The nooks and crannies even under the bed was vacuumed.

The room is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It’s a well thought of design and arrangement. Even the small details like paintings/photo on the wall, the hanging lampshade on each sides of the bed, even the TV rack is pleasing.

The only flaw we saw, which basically ruined it all for us was the bathroom. I guess being aesthetic does not always equate to functionality. We were not able to fully enjoy the bathtub or even just our bath for fear of flooding. If one is not careful, water could easily and we mean easily flood the room. The bathtub is located next to the bathroom door and the bathroom-floor and the room-floor are level. Well, we have seen modern bathrooms like these but I guess the basics of slightly angling the floor towards the drain should still be observed. Instead the water flows outside of the bathroom. It really freaked us out when we saw water going out of the bathroom while using the bath. We literally had to towel the floor down and squeeze the towel in the sink.

Ant problems also put us off. I woke up with ant bites and they were all over the floor the next morning. As a plush hotel in downtown Hatyai this should not have not been an issue but it is.

Now this is just based on the room we stayed in.

This video was taken at Neca Reiche Hotel.

Sockets:

At this modern age of gadgetry we have made electric sockets our best friend. And having plenty of them in a hotel room is a necessity. We always bring a ton of gadgets with us and re-charge all of them in the evening and we were not disappointed. Sockets were aplenty

Wifi:

Another downside of this hotel is their WIFI connectivity or the lack of it. We were not able to connect at all during our stay. We called the front desk for assistance thinking we may have made a mistake in connecting and someone did come to our AID to help us connect but still no connection at all. For us it was fine since we do have internet in our mobile devices because we live here in Thailand but if you are a tourist on a tourist SIM card you might really really want a hotel wifi connection and this will be outrageous and disappointmenting.

Amenities:

They have got the usual complimentary bottled water, towels, toiletries, shower caps, flat-screen TV, fridge, electric kettle, and hairdryer.

Pool:

They have a pool located on the 6th floor of the building. The pool is tiny. You’d have to literally wait for your turn to get into it. They do not have a kiddie pool so kids shorter than 4 feet will need a flotation device. The tiles are dark blue almost black so we could not be sure if the water was clean. We did not take a dip.

Food:

The food was the saving grace of this hotel. They were generous of the food. They served ham and eggs, fried rice, fruits and vegetables, complementary drinks, salad dressings, soup, porridge, bread, and a lot of condiments. They replenished the food the moment they see it’s running low. We have seen stingy hotel restaurants who would not refill the serving plates right away to discourage clients from having seconds.

Staff:

The hotel staffs were friendly and courteous. They could speak decent English so communication is not a problem at all.

Clientele

Neca Reiche hotel is a good place to stay if you plan to go around Hatyai City. It is famous among Malaysians, Singaporeans, Expats, and local tourists.

Overall

At 49.90 USD/per night for a family of four in a Standard II room, I think it is a good deal. Overall, in terms of aesthetic, cleanliness, and location, this hotel is great. And the whole experience which could have been even greater if not because of the bathroom and WIFI connection. If Neca Reiche addresses these, then I would say it is the total package but until then, I would not return.

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Lanta Riviera Villa Resort

Lanta Riviera Villa Resort: Koh Lanta Krabi

Lanta Riviera Villa Resort is a mix-bag of extreme positive and negative points.

We found this resort just a week before the Songkran festival here in Thailand. Every experienced traveler knows that this would spell high prices for every tourist destinations around here. Koh Lanta is no exception as this is one of the most sought out places by tourists during the summer.

Lanta Riviera Villa Resort as advertised online caught our attention as it was one of the cheapest family friendly resort. 

Here are the reasons why we booked it.

The price 

The family bungalow cost us a little over 4,000.00 THB which is approximately a bit over 133 USD for three nights during the peak season. This is definitely a great deal.

Family-friendly

Kids as they are, are synonymous to shouting, shrieking, jumping, crying, and boisterous laughs. And we have got two active, super excited kids who could not contain their emotions despite being told to do so and we don’t want to overdo the scolding and rule implementations as it might spoil their holiday but as much as we have all the rights to be there, we also want to be considerate with the other guests. So detached accommodations like bungalows are really suitable.

Kid’s pool:   For our kids a holiday is not a holiday without a pool.  So it is a must.
Bunk bed:   This was a special request from our kids. It has been their long time wish to have a bunk bed or at least to experience sleeping on one (blame it on Peppa Pig) and luckily, Lanta Riviera Villa Resort has it.

 

So how was it?

The bungalow is great. It is big enough that it does not feel like you are all cramped inside. As a matter of fact, even with a queen-sized bed, a bunk bed and a big couch, it is still spacious.  It was clean. There were no dust and or dirt under the furniture.  The bathroom was clean and is fairly spacious. All amenities that come with it like the fridge, kettle, flat-screen TV, Wi-Fi, hairdryer, and air-con all work perfectly. There are the usual freebies like coffee, 4 bottled water, and toiletries. It has a veranda and a garden in front with plants that give the bungalow a private feel to it.

 

Did I mention they have Free Wi-Fi? Oh I’d like to emphasize that their internet services is by far the best among all the hotels we have had the experience of staying. Even the pricier ones can’t hold a candle to this resort in terms of internet services. All three gadgets we brought along logged in without any hitch and the internet speed felt premium.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Ajarn Mitch (@mitchryansblog)

Parking: There is an open space for parking right in front of the property. Even though it’s unguarded it felt safe as the Information’s office is right beside it and open 24 hours a day. There are no proper parking demarcations so cars are parked however people preferred it.  So it was quite messy. And if you are a bit fuzzy about your fancy car it might be a deal breaker for you since it is a bit muddy when the parking area is wet or very dusty when dry.

The kid’s pool is neither big nor tiny.  Our kids had a great time hanging around there. It has a heater, which is really great, so the water is warm which is ideal especially for kids during an evening swim and it’s something we think every pool must have

But of course nothing is ever perfect and so is this resort… which brings me to its possible deal breaker down sides.

The bungalow was very clean as we have mentioned but it however had a faint cigarette smoke odor when we went inside which means that they allow smoking in their bungalows.  We find this very disappointing. They should have a smoking and a non-smoking bungalow as non-smokers would be pretty sensitive to this odor.

The pool is not well maintained as evident by the somewhat murky look of the water. Rules and guidelines for pool use are not enforced.

Getting to the resort was like finding Nemo. Looking for it was just utterly frustrating to the point of disgust. For one the address provided in the website is incorrect, the GPS took us in the middle of the forest, and this is like quite a few kilometers away from where it actually is.  Second, there is not a tiniest signage of some sort visible from the roadside. An hour later after driving back and forth and after asking for directions from people who were also a bit confused as there is another resort with a similar name, one directed us here (see photo please).

Yes, that’s right.  It does not say Lanta Riviera Villa Resort. But right into the alley you will see the resort’s name under another hotel’s name (see photo, in red ink). We later found out that Lanta Riviera Villa Resort is under the management of Hatzanda Lanta Resort. And the name visible on the roadside is Hatzanda (HZD) Lanta Resort. This inconsistency however is not mentioned on their website. Not a slightest hint at all.

If Lanta Riviera Villa Resort is your next travel accommodation, ask the driver to drop you off at Hatzanda Lanta Resort.  If you are driving, type in your GPS: Hatzanda Lanta Resort.

Overall…

Lanta Riviera Villa Resort is a great place for a staycation whether with your family, friends, or by yourself. The villas are in secluded places surrounded by vegetation giving you the privacy you need.  Plus, affordable Thai-Malaysian Eateries and a Seven Eleven are just around the block.
If you can take all the downsides with a smile and if it is not a deal breaker for you Lanta Riviera Villa Resort is a great place to stay.

 

Family Friendly Hotels in Krabi

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